A Freight Exchange - A ‘Dating Service’ For Cargo

Freight exchange services have been around for a while now, but advances in technology have made it much easier and more convenient to communicate with potential clients or to forge partnerships with like-minded organisations online. For those who don't understand what they are, an online exchange could be compared to a dating service for businesses engaged in cargo! If you're in the delivery and road transport industry, an exchange can help increase your profits through the following means.

Never Suffer From Empty Return Loads

A dating service often uses a variation of the phrase, "there’s someone out there for everybody." The same is true for users of a freight exchange system: as a community of individuals and organisations with mostly the same end in mind, you are likely to find someone that will either be happy to use the services you offer or one who will be able to help you become more profitable. One major aspect of this is the subject of getting return loads. Most of your deliveries ordinarily have one-way profitability - you bring the goods from point A to B - but the trip back to A would eat into your profit because your vehicle is empty. An online exchange can help you find someone to fill your cargo space and create a profitable job while you're heading back to A.

Find Long-term Partners

A freight exchange system is not just for those who are looking for potential clients or customers. You will also encounter individuals or organisations that you may find complementary to the services you offer. Of course the majority may be your direct competitors, but there are small companies or even one-man operations that may be willing to partner with you, especially for shipments to certain localities. To illustrate, imagine you’re very good at winning contracts, but there are jobs in certain cities or towns beyond your usual jurisdiction. There are companies that operate in those cities or towns, yet they’re not very good at getting clients. So you partner with them by getting them clients or sending them customers you can't serve, and in return you get a percentage of their earnings. This can also project the image that your business is larger, thus winning you more customers.

Enhance Competitiveness

As in the dating game, the more you go out on dates with other people, the sharper your instincts become when it comes to knowing who’s a keeper and who’s just wasting your time! You become smarter, sharper, and less tolerant of time wasters. The same is true for those who regularly use a freight exchange system; the more often you engage in business, especially in a situation where you get to mingle and directly negotiate with your competitors (if only online!), the more it enhances your acumen. You can also pick up a lot of new ideas along the way, which you can use to implement in your own organisation. The dynamics of interacting with customers and rivals in such an exchange have been proven to help businesses evolve and innovate, because the spirit of competition paired with transparency serve as seeds for continued growth.